Millions of Americanspay for streaming services, doling out anywhere from $5 to $75 a month.
Its a common belief that you might get out of recurring charges like this by switching your credit card.
The streamers wont be able to find you, and your account will just go away, right?
Photo: Said Fx (Getty Images)
Granted, it might be easier to just cancel your subscription directly with a streamer like Netflix.
Theres a largely hidden service that enables most subscription services to keep throwing charges at you indefinitely.
Banks may automatically update credit or debit card numbers when a new card is issued.
Most major card providers offer a feature that enables this, including Visa.
The service works with a web link of banks to create a virtual tracking service of Americans financial profiles.
Whenever someone renews or switches a credit card within their bank, the institution automatically updates the VAU.
This system lets Netflix and countless other corporations charge whatever card you have on file.
VAU was an instant success, quickly adopted by banks and corporations around the world.
VAU allows merchants to keep customers roped into their subscription services, but Visa also argues it helps customers.
Visas not entirely wrong about this.
However, practices like these can also keep people bound in endless cycles of payments that follow them everywhere.
Another would be that the merchant would continue the service but send the customer a nasty letter.
So VAU really came about with the onset of the internet.
Practices like this have become increasingly popular in the Internet age.
Subscription services have become easier to start, but increasingly difficult to stop.
Credit cards are also widely regarded as a more anonymous way to move through the financial world.
The VAU just allows them to coordinate with corporations to keep your financial information constantly up to date.
The VAU undoubtedly offers some benefits to consumers.
However, its important to understand why.
Banks make it effortless to keep paying these recurring charges.
However, stopping them can be much harder.
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